Sol Sacrifice
by Adrian Tyndall
Summary: Volume 2 of the Sol Legacy.  Kyou's training is almost over, but what will he find when he emerges from the Chamber?
1. Chapter 1

[Chapter 1]

___Corona entered his master's chamber, quaking in fear. "Y… Yes, my master. You wished to see me?" he said. ___

_"Oh, calm down, Corona. There's nothing wrong. I called you here to celebrate our impending victory," Bakoda said. ___

_"V… Victory, sire?" Corona asked, uncertain. At that instant, a __  
__figure stepped out from the shadows. He had black, unkempt hair and icy __  
__blue eyes. He wore all black clothing. "You… You've captured the __  
__Saiyan?" ___

_"Captured? Oh, don't I wish," Bakoda replied. "But I've done the next best thing. I've made a clone of him. I sent scouts out to the place where his battle with the necromancers took place, and they brought back a sample of his skin and hair that had been… separated from him. This is the end result. Corona, I'd like you to meet our own Saiyan, Aedis __  
__Miroth." ___

_The cloned Saiyan looked up at Corona. "Pleasure," he said simply. ___

_"Corona, this is the key to our victory. Aedis will destroy the Senshi and Kyou once and for all. Then the path will be clear. We can rule the universe!" Bakoda said. "Now. Aedis, hunt down the Senshi. Bring them to me. Wreak havoc on Tokyo, the dwelling place of what would have been my adversaries!" ___

_Aedis nodded and said, "It shall be done, master." With a brilliant flash of light, the Saiyan was gone. Bakoda laughed, a long, low, cruel laugh that revealed the madness in his mind. Corona began to wonder at this point if it was truly worth serving under such a madman, and whether he too stood in Bakoda's way…_

* * *

**Realtime: Hour 14**

Hotaru awoke the next morning, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of her stomach. There was something amiss. Had something gone wrong with Kyou's training? Or was it something somewhere else?

As she got up to get dressed, the phone rang. She heard Michiru's muffled voice in the next room, which gradually grew in volume. Then Hotaru heard steps approaching her door at a run. Before her teal-haired adopted mother could burst into the room, Hotaru knew something was wrong.

Seconds later, Michiru knocked on Hotaru's door. "Hotaru! Hotaru, are you up?" she called, her voice filled with panic.

"I'm up, Michiru-mama. What's wrong?" Hotaru said after opening the door.

"There's… There's been an attack, Hotaru. We have to hurry and meet the Senshi in the Juuban district," Michiru said. Hotaru hurried to her bedside table, gathered her transformation pen, and followed Michiru and Haruka to the car.

They arrived minutes later, thanks to Haruka's somewhat-reckless driving, to a horrible site. Smoke was pouring out of five separate buildings, forming thick, black clouds, which curled into the air. Bodies lay strewn about the street. Michiru was right. There'd been an attack, a very serious one.

"Saturn Crystal Power, Make-up!" Hotaru called. She became,  
thanks to the magic in her pen, Sailor Saturn. Haruka and Michiru  
transformed as well, becoming Uranus and Neptune respectively.

"Let's split up and see if we can find survivors," Uranus said. The other two nodded, and the three began fanning out between the buildings and the bodies, looking for any signs of life. Saturn saw something moving through the black miasma, and cautiously approached it.

"Whatever you are, hold still! I don't want a fight right now!" Saturn called out.

A familiar voice answered her challenge. "Saturn… Is that you?" The figure walked through the smoke, into the open. It was Sailor Mercury.

"Mercury," Saturn said, sighing in relief. "I'm glad to see you. Have you found anything yet?"

"Saturn," Mercury said. A look came over her face that Saturn  
couldn't place. Was it guilt? Grief? "All these people… They each have a  
hole burned into their bodies. No blood. The inside of the wounds were  
instantly burnt closed. Only one type of attack can produce that much  
power. A concentrated energy beam."

"What are you saying?" Uranus said. She and Neptune had heard Saturn's challenge, and came running to help.

"We only know of one person that can use such concentrated blasts of energy and cause destruction on such a scale," Mercury said.

A thought came instantly to Saturn's mind. "Wait… You can't  
mean… Kyou didn't do this!" she shouted.

"Saturn, all of these wounds have a unique pattern. A corkscrew. Kyou's Makankosappo," Mercury said.

Saturn's eyes began to fill with tears. "No. It's not true! Kyou would never do that!" she screamed.

"Mercury, Saturn's right. Piccolo led Kyou off personally yesterday. They weren't supposed to be back until late this evening. It's possible  
someone else could be using a similar attack," Neptune said. "You know  
what they say, innocent until proven guilty." Saturn looked back at  
Neptune, gratitude building up with in her.

"Maybe you're right," Mercury replied. "Until we met him, we didn't even know Kyou's powers existed. There's no telling how many others could have something similar. In any case, we need to report this."

Mercury, Neptune, and Uranus dropped their transformations and walked back to the car, but Saturn remained behind, gazing once more at the smoldering buildings and lifeless bodies. _Kyou… This wasn't you… Was it…?_

Saturn dropped her transformation, slowly turned, and headed back to the car. She wished, like Ami and the others, that she knew what had caused this, and prayed the outcome didn't confirm Ami's suspicions…

**Chamber Time: Day 201**

Kyou awoke with a start, halfway through his year of training. He had gotten a sickening feeling from the outside world. Piccolo's training  
had helped to heighten his mental prowess. As a result, he could now sense very strong things. Of course, anything with less power than the Senshi's was untraceable to him, and the effect only extended to Tokyo, but it was better than nothing.

Piccolo sensed he was up as well. He walked over and stood in front of Kyou's bed. "Are you alright?" the Namekian asked.

"I'm… fine. Something's wrong though. In Tokyo. I just felt… I  
think someone's attacked the city," Kyou answered.

"If that's true, then all we can do is pray that no one was hurt. We can't leave this chamber until the year's up. Only then will you be able to do anything about it," Piccolo replied sternly.

"I know, master. I still can't help but worry. I don't even know if Hotaru's alright or not, or the other Senshi for that matter…" Kyou said.

"Kyou, if you want to gain strength to save someone, that often means putting them out of your mind for awhile. If they're out of your mind, you won't get distracted and you can do whatever you need to to save them. Does that make sense?" Piccolo asked.

"Yeah, I guess it does. It is a little harsh, though," Kyou replied.

"I know it seems that way. It's for the best, though. I'm only trying to help you," Piccolo said in response.

"I know," Kyou said. "I'll try not to worry about the Senshi for now. It was probably nothing anyway."

"Good. Now lets get out here and work on your weapons technique," Piccolo said…

**Realtime: Hour 15**

"…And you have no idea who caused it?" Usagi asked.

It was now nearly a half hour later, and all of the Senshi were  
assembled in the Hikawa Shrine, along with Mamoru. They were discussing  
Ami, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru's findings in the city.

"None at all," Michiru said.

"It had to be someone very powerful," Ami said. "Someone with Kyou's level of expertise. The buildings were destroyed, and each of the corpses had holes through them in a spiral pattern. The wounds were all singed shut by the heat of the energy beams."

"So we're looking for Kyou, right?" Minako asked.

"We're not going to say Kyou's behind it until we know for certain," Ami said, in response to Hotaru's pained expression. "All we do know is that it was someone of around his power level, using energy-based  
techniques similar to his."

"If it's another Saiyan, we'll have to wait until Kyou gets back. None of us is any match for a Saiyan in normal circumstances," Makoto added.

"That's for certain," Rei responded. "The only one who could even make a dent is Hotaru, and she'd have to sacrifice herself as well. As far as I know, there's no other way to regenerate her if that happens."

"And what if it is Kyou? What if Piccolo's been brainwashed, and  
passed it on to him?" Haruka asked.

"Then it's not his fault, but we still need to deal with the situation. If Jadeite were still here, I think he would probably be able to do something. He's left, though, and no one knows where he went," Usagi answered. "There's nothing we can do right now. It sounds horrible, what's being done here, but we're powerless to stop it. We have to wait for Kyou, either for him to help us or, if he's responsible, for us to deal with him."

"You're right, Usagi," Rei said. Everyone looked up. Rei didn't  
normally agree with Usagi that easily. "Kyou's very powerful. Whoever  
did this, if it wasn't him, is too. So we have to just wait it out. There's no  
way we can get that much stronger in such a short space. We just need to go about our business and try to rest up."

"I think it's a good idea if we at least stay in pairs until tonight. That way, if anything happens, someone'll be able to get in touch with the rest of us," Makoto added. "It's only a little longer until Kyou gets back. Until then, we'll have to wait."

The Senshi split up, with Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru remaining  
together. Haruka took the other two out, and let them get something to eat. Then they went to a park where they could, hopefully, at least, relax. Hotaru was too preoccupied to relax, though.

_I can't believe this… They're starting to suspect Kyou. I know what it looks like, but it can't be him. It's just impossible. Kyou's been gone the whole time… How can he be causing this?_ she thought to herself. All thoughts were chased off, though, after she heard several people looking at her and screaming. Then she felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck before she blacked out…


	2. Chapter 2

[Chapter 2]

**Realtime: Hour Unknown**

Hotaru awoke and noticed several things immediately. First, she was  
laying down. Second, her arms and legs were bound. Third, wherever she  
was was dimly lit. This told her, as if she'd needed help from the back of  
neck, that she had been kidnapped.

"Haruka? Michiru? Anyone else there?" she called out into the  
dimness.

"They can't hear you," responded an evil, yet familiar, voice. "All of the Senshi have been captured. You're all being held in separate cells. There's no use calling out."

"Corona?" Hotaru asked, trying to place the voice.

"Yeah. Looks like you're not as dumb as we thought," Corona  
responded.

"What's been going on here? What happened to the city?" Hotaru demanded.

"You're not in a position to be asking questions, human," Corona responded, injecting scorn into the last word. Hotaru heard footsteps leaving, and a heavy door closing. Then there was nothing. In the silence, Hotaru called out to Kyou, hoping he would still be free and able to hear her…

**Chamber Time: Day 293**

There were only a few weeks left, from Kyou's perspective, until the  
end of his training. He had improved greatly, mastering sword techniques  
under Piccolo's instruction. He had done well with one sword, but found the  
twin blade arts more appealing to him.

It was thus that he was training with two bokudo, refining his stance and defenses, when he heard a faint echo in his mind. It was dreadfully familiar, and could only mean one thing. Hotaru was in trouble, and was calling out to him in a time of need. It was at these times she could manage to reach him. It caught him off guard at first, and then he remembered what Piccolo had said earlier.

_I've got to ignore it,_ Kyou thought to himself. _It's cold, and cruel. I have to ignore it for now. Just for a little while. Should only be a few more hours out there. They'll be okay. They'll have to be…_

Kyou continued his twin blade work, cutting through the various  
illusions that appeared in the white void of the chamber. They took many  
forms, forms of youma he had already defeated, or youma taken from the  
pure imagination of the chamber itself, if such a thing existed.

He had progressed alarmingly well, Piccolo had said. "You learn  
quickly. Although, I suppose that's the Saiyan blood in you. They learned  
to be quite… imaginative. Of course, the chamber's going to take this into  
account. I'd be careful out there if I were you."

After another ten minutes of technique, Kyou saw what Piccolo  
meant. Soon, he was facing armed opponents, foes armed with one or two  
swords. They started off simple enough, but soon they began to use some of the techniques he himself had used. In response, he fought even harder, infusing his sword technique with the martial arts.

The illusions, Kyou soon found, learned as quick and were as good as he was. It took a while of mop-up, but Kyou finished off the last one finally. He dropped to a knee, supporting himself on one of his swords, catching his breath. It was at that precise moment he felt it. It was a power level rivaling, if not surpassing, his own. Kyou got back to his feet and looked around, then came face-to-face with himself.

"What the…?" Kyou stammered. It was like looking in a mirror,  
except his other self had eyes filled with sadness, eyes filled with loss.

"Hotaru… You ignored her," the other Kyou said. "It's too late now. She's gone. And so are all the others."

"No. No, it's not possible!" Kyou shouted.

"It is possible. And they're gone. Without them, the world is  
doomed. You knew you had no choice. You knew before Jadeite told you.  
You knew and you went into hiding. You're a coward," the copy said, the  
sadness in his eyes turning to anger. "You never deserved Hotaru. You  
were never good enough for her, and now she's gone."

"No. No! You're lying!" Kyou said, his own anger rising. His power level rose correspondingly, and he soon hit Super Saiyan.

"You think that's going to save you?" the copy asked. "That's  
pathetic. It wouldn't have saved you earlier. It won't save you now."

"You're wrong. I've gotten stronger. I'll prove it. I'll start by  
finishing you off and proving that I'm the real Kyou!"

The two Kyous charged, and met in midair with the force of a small volcanic eruption. Each of their blows landed solidly. They fought with the blinding speed and relentlessness only a pair of Saiyans could manage, neither one giving in. Finally, the two separated.

"So. You fight well. But you're still too weak. If you haven't  
noticed, I'm normal. You're in Super Saiyan," the copy of Kyou said.

"I have yet to show you what I can do," Kyou replied. He drew his swords. "Let me demonstrate what I've learned here." He charged again, using his newly refined sword arts. The copy blocked each and every one of Kyou's blows.

The copy began to get tired of the useless hits, and knocked the  
swords out of Kyou's hands. Kyou kicked out high and hard, and felt the  
copy's ribs give way under the hit. The copy staggered back and fell to the  
ground. When he looked up again, the real Kyou was glaring down at him, a hand extended.

"This is the end for you. You're not the real me. And I am going to rescue Hotaru and the others," Kyou said. One gigantic energy blast later, the copy of Kyou was gone. His voice whispered out from the void. "Good… Your self-doubt is gone… Perhaps you stand a chance after all…"

_That was too weird,_ Kyou thought. _This chamber… Can it somehow… Can it read my thoughts? My doubts? I need to ask Piccolo…_

Kyou picked up his swords and went back to the living area. He set them down on a chair and lay down on his bed, his thoughts wondering once more to the outside…

**Realtime: Hour Unknown**

Hotaru woke with a start when the door opened again. She felt two  
pairs of hands grab her and force her up and out of the room. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"You don't need to worry about that right now. Master Corona has asked to see you personally," one of the voices said.

"Why me? I don't see what help I can be," Hotaru responded.

"Look, all I know is that he wants to see you, alright? Now keep your mouth shut and your feet moving," the second voice said.

Hotaru kept quiet and moved onward. Wherever she was, it was cold, colder than winter in Tokyo. If she had control of her arms, she was sure they'd be wrapped around her while she shivered. _Where on Earth have they brought us?_ she wondered.

Minutes later, she was led to a chamber. Inside, it was a lot warmer. The room was decorated with a tropical scheme. The detail was perfect, from the trees, heat, and light, down to the sounds of the waterfalls and wildlife. Corona apparently liked it hot.

"Hotaru. Excellent, you're here," Corona said. "I trust you're well?"

Hotaru didn't talk, but nodded after awhile.

"Good. You may leave us," Corona added to the guards. They left, and Corona motioned to Hotaru to join him.

"What do you want, Corona?" Hotaru asked. "Where are we?"

"All of the Senshi are here in Bakoda's base. You may have noticed that it's cold in the corridor outside. There's a reason for that. This base, all of it, is floating through deep space," Corona said.

Hotaru's expression turned to one of shock. "Space? But… how's that possible? How can we breathe, and why are we not floating around?" she asked.

"It's actually quite simple. However, that's not what we're here to discuss. If you honestly want to know, you'll have to ask your friend Ami later," Corona said. "I need to talk to you about more important matters now. Where is Kyou?"

This question threw Hotaru off guard, but her expression faltered for only a moment. "Why do you want to know?" she asked.

"Listen. I don't have time to explain. All I can say is that I need to know where Kyou is, and I need to know now," Corona said, his voice lowering.

"Why should I tell you anything?" Hotaru demanded.

Corona's expression shocked Hotaru. His eyelids went wide, his  
pupils dilating. He was trying to warn her about something. "I'm the only  
reason any of you Senshi are alive right now," he whispered hoarsely. "If it were Bakoda having his way, you'd have all been killed instead of brought here."

"Why… Why are you trying to help us?" Hotaru asked quietly.

"There's something you should know. Kyou's been cloned. His  
clone is the one that attacked the city and kidnapped all of you. The  
kidnapping was on my orders. Bakoda is ruthless. If he wins, everybody  
else loses, including me," Corona said quickly.

"So, all of this, it was designed to save you?" Hotaru asked  
skeptically.

"Not just me. I have two brothers and a sister here too. We were all tricked by Bakoda, but they're too blind to see. They're still with Bakoda. But if he gets rid of you Senshi… I think he's planning to kill all the rest of us. Well, except for the Kyou clone. He might be able to use him to threaten the rest of the universe," Corona explained. He noticed Hotaru's look of disbelief, and added, "Look. I know it sounds weird, and I know I've tried to kill you in the past. You probably won't trust me, but all I want you to do is think it over. When the time comes, Kyou will rescue you. Stick by him no matter what."

Hotaru gazed into Corona's eyes, and saw truth there. She was  
amazed at first, but then, she'd been a villain once too, hadn't she? Or, at least, someone using her body. "Kyou… Kyou is at a place called Dende's Lookout. He left at 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon and is supposed to be back at about 9 o'clock tonight. He'll return to the Hikawa Shrine," she said quietly.

"Thank you," Corona said. "I'll do whatever I can to bring my  
siblings around and to keep you safe. I can't do anything about your current imprisonment, but you'll still be alive. Guards!" he shouted. The two guards that brought Hotaru in now re-entered the room. "Take this girl back to her cell. We're through here."

The guards complied, and within minutes, Hotaru was shoved roughly back into her cold, dim cell. What was going on here? A revolution from the inside? There was no telling. Hotaru only hoped she'd done the right thing, though, or she and her friends were doomed…


	3. Chapter 3

[Chapter 3]

**Realtime: Hour Unknown**

Hotaru was reaching her limit. Was it Bakoda's idea to leave them  
cooped up until they went insane? And what time was it? Had Corona  
already left? Too many questions, not enough answers.

She had still not been allowed to communicate with the other Senshi.  
She had, however, been allowed to eat. She supposed it was only a matter of  
time before Kyou would arrive, assuming Corona kept to his word.

She had no way of contacting anyone, and the guards around her cell  
were none too friendly. She had not developed enough prowess to be able to  
contact Kyou, especially considering she had no idea where he – or even she  
– was. So she sat in her cell, cold and utterly alone. For the first time since  
she had met Kyou, she sat down on the floor and began to cry out of  
sadness…

**Chamber Time: Day 364-5**

Kyou spent the last days in the chamber resting up. It was essential he  
maintain his good health, or all his training would be for nothing.

He couldn't help but feel uneasy, though. He'd been getting strange  
feelings during the last few weeks. Was it possible something really had  
happened to the Senshi? To Hotaru? Well, he'd find out in a few hours  
anyway.

Piccolo was deep in meditation, as he almost always was. Kyou  
doubted his mentor ever slept, ate, or otherwise. Of course, he knew  
Namekian physiology was different from either human or Saiyan, so he  
should expect behavioral differences as well.

Kyou wondered what had been going on in his absence. He'd felt  
disturbing things, and had no idea what any of them meant. It made him  
frustrated, knowing that he was out of touch with the real world.

Finally, though, the time came to leave the chamber. Piccolo stood  
next to the door, waiting for Kyou. The Saiyan grabbed his swords and  
joined him. Minutes ticked past, until the door cracked open. Piccolo  
pushed the door fully open, revealing a very shocked Popo.

"Mr. Popo, what is it?" Piccolo asked.

"These two men… They came up here looking for you," Popo replied.  
He stepped to the side, revealing Jadeite and – Kyou tensed – Corona.

"What're you doing here?" Kyou demanded. "What have you done  
to Hotaru?"

Corona held out a hand to stop Kyou's temper. "Patience, Saiyan.  
You always assume the worst," he said. "Your precious Senshi are still  
alive, but you have to come with me to ensure they stay that way."

"What are you talking about?" Piccolo asked. "Do you know where  
they are?"

Corona nodded. "They've been taken to my master's fortress.  
Bakoda has been growing impatient, attacking cities at random to try to flush  
you out…"

"That explains it," Piccolo said. Kyou looked at him quizzically, and  
the Namek continued. "When we were in the chamber, I felt a great  
disturbance. Part of Tokyo's been attacked, where your friends live."

"Yes," Corona interjected. "Bakoda made a clone of you, Kyou. He  
took material he found from the Necromancer battle. The clone has all your  
characteristics, including your Super Saiyan transformation. He attacked the  
city using your techniques, and kidnapped your friends."

"Why are you telling us this?" Jadeite asked.

"Because as soon as this clone is trained further, I'm certain Bakoda  
will have no further use for my siblings or myself," Corona replied. "I don't  
care about myself, but I don't want anything to happen to them."

"I understand," Kyou replied. "Our new goal, however, is to  
determine what to do next. Where's Bakoda's fortress?"

"Deep space," Corona answered.

"So how do we get to it?" Piccolo asked next.

"You have to trust me on that one," Corona said. "I can make a  
tunnel through space to get you there. It will take some doing, and the path  
will be dangerous, as will the fortress, but it can be done."

"What are we up against in the fortress?" Kyou asked.

"The Senshi are going to be in the dungeons. I'm coming with you,  
since I'm the only one that can open the cells. There are going to be a lot of  
guards, though. They won't be easy to get past. At least, they're not  
supposed to be," Corona answered.

"I have one more thing," Kyou said. He looked into Corona's eyes,  
then turned to Piccolo and Jadeite. "I cannot ask or force either of you to  
help me, to come with me. Corona can open the portal and I can go through  
myself, but I cannot in good conscience put any of you at risk."

"Nor will you," Piccolo said. "I will go with you, to help as I may."

Jadeite spoke up next. "I have enough evil to atone for," he said. "I  
can only start that by helping you save your friends and the world they so  
fiercely defend. I'm in."

"I have to save my siblings," Corona said. "If I come with you, I  
might be able to persuade them not to fight you. Besides, you'll need a  
guide through the fortress."

"Then it looks like we have work ahead of us. We need to all be on  
top of our game. Any ideas to rest up, Piccolo?" Kyou asked.

"No," Piccolo answered. "You and I just came out of the Chamber.  
As far as I'm concerned, we're as on top of our game as it gets."

"I haven't used very much energy, save for coming up here," Jadeite  
added.

"Nor have I," Corona finished. "If you wish, we can begin  
immediately."

Kyou looked to all three of them once more, and finally said, "Alright,  
Corona. Take us there."

Corona nodded and waved a hand. A portal appeared behind him.  
"This portal is the most direct route to Bakoda's fortress. I must warn you,  
though. The danger we face is great. The Senshi are each guarded heavily,  
although I do not know what guards Sailor Moon. Some of us may not  
emerge alive."

"We're ready to take the risk," Kyou said. "Let's go…"


	4. Chapter 4

[Chapter 4]

Kyou and his group entered the portal Corona had made and things  
immediately changed. While the Chamber had been uncomfortably warm,  
this portal through deep space was almost unbearably cold. Kyou kept his  
mind on his objective, though, and his physical discomfort was put out of his  
mind.

"Just how far through this portal do we have to go, anyway?" Piccolo  
asked. He, too, felt the chilling temperatures and was becoming  
uncomfortable.

"Just a small trip through now," Corona said. "I know it's cold,  
believe me. I'm disposed to the fire element, so I know just how bad it is."

"I think our main problem is not the temperature, but the anticipation  
of the battles to come," Jadeite said. "You still never told us exactly what  
we'll be facing."

"There are countless guards that will no doubt be patrolling the  
corridors. They shouldn't be a problem, though. The real challenges will be  
my siblings, and of course, Bakoda," Corona responded.

"I see," Kyou said. "You said you were disposed to fire. What about  
your other siblings? Do they have elements?"

"Yes, each of us is disposed to a different element. My siblings are  
disposed to wind, ice, and water. They're as deadly with those elements as I  
am with mine," Corona said. "But if you've done as much work as I think  
you have, you should have no problem."

Within a few more minutes of enduring the freezing cold in the portal,  
Kyou's party finally emerged inside a darkened hallway on solid ground.  
The corridor was deserted, but Kyou proceeded slowly. Kyou stopped  
before they reached a crossing hallway, letting Corona point them down the  
right way.

They turned right, heading down a hall filled with doors. Each one  
had a small tag overhead with numbers painted on it. Kyou guessed that  
these must be the cells where prisoners were kept. Judging by how far apart  
they were, they couldn't be very big.

Corona confirmed his suspicions a moment later. "These are the cells  
where your friends are being kept," he said quietly. "Each one is in a  
separate cell. They're all down toward the end of the corridor."

Kyou moved forward with a renewed sense of urgency. Hotaru was  
somewhere down this hallway. His heart rate began to rise, which was a  
certainty that danger was nearby. Even before he could sense it mentally, he  
could feel it in his heart.

Kyou's intuition proved correct. A cell opened, and three guards  
stepped out. Each was heavily armed, with thick metal armor covering most  
of their bodies. The guards looked at Kyou in shock, then saw Corona, and  
relaxed slightly.

Kyou noticed their softened expression. "A mistake," he said. In a  
flash, he had drawn his swords and cut down two of the guards. The third  
was reaching for his weapon, but Piccolo charged forward with blinding  
speed and caught his arm. With a sharp twist, the arm was broken, the guard  
howling in pain. Kyou ran his sword through the unfortunate man's armor  
and into his chest to end his pain.

"We'd better move. Someone was sure to have heard that," Jadeite  
said. He was correct. No sooner had he finished the sentence than alarms  
began going off throughout the corridor.

"This'll make things more difficult," Corona said. "Guards will begin  
teleporting inside the Senshi's cells to guard them. Those guards won't be  
as easy. The Senshi are considered maximum security prisoners."

"Then we'd better get moving, hadn't we?" Kyou said. Corona  
nodded and led the group on, stopping at a cell. Corona waved a hand  
before it, and the door opened. He had to turn sharply aside though; a blast  
issued from inside and impacted the wall behind…

* * *

Hotaru awoke to the sound of alarms going off. In her mind, this only  
meant one thing: Kyou had come at last. She smiled inwardly. Corona was  
on their side after all. Her relief was short-lived, though. She was  
momentarily blinded by a flash of light as a guard, bigger and deadlier-  
looking than any she'd seen before, appeared inside her cell. He glared at  
her, and she slowly backed away, moving slowly into a corner.

Behind the guard, the door opened, and Corona stood framing the  
doorway. The guard turned and fired, using an energy-based weapon  
attached to his arm. Corona ducked against the wall, the blast missing him.  
Another figure sidestepped into the doorway and charged the guard,  
shoulder-ramming him and knocking him to the floor. Corona entered the  
room again, followed by, to Hotaru's great relief, Piccolo and Jadeite.

Hotaru waited for Kyou to enter, but he never did. Then she  
remembered he had gained another year on her. Had he really changed that  
much? The figure that had knocked down the guard was taking a defensive  
stance and drawing the swords that rested on either side of his belt. The  
swords immediately glowed a bright blue.

The guard got back to his feet and aimed his weapon at the  
swordsman. He fired, but the blast was turned aside by one of the swords.  
The guard fired again, with the same result. Hotaru was amazed. Whoever  
this swordsman was, he was good. He had to be channeling his energy into  
his swords so that they could reflect energy.

The swordsman moved in, doing a sort of pirouette with his swords  
extended, and the energy-charged blades cut cleanly through the guards  
armor and into his stomach, killing him. "Too easy," the swordsman  
muttered, before resheathing his swords and walking over to Hotaru. He  
bent down and offered her a hand.

Hotaru looked up into his eyes, and saw a familiarity there. "Kyou?"  
she said uncertainly. He was a bit taller, and his hair was now long,  
stretching down his back.

"Yes, Hotaru. It's me. I'm back," Kyou said, smiling. Hotaru took  
his hand, and he helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Hotaru said. "I'm so happy to see you." She hugged him  
tightly, wanting to hold onto him forever, and kissed him. "Kyou! I almost  
forgot. There was an attack on the Juuban district, and…"

"It's okay, Hotaru. I already know all about it. Corona told me as  
soon as I got out of the Chamber. It was a clone of me that Bakoda made  
after the battle with those necromancers," Kyou said. "That's what's been  
tearing about, and it's probably what kidnapped you guys as well."

"But, Kyou, the others don't know it's not you. They'll be ready to  
attack you on sight," Hotaru said.

"Don't worry about that. We'll prove to them it wasn't me," Kyou  
said.

"This is really touching, you two," Jadeite said. "But we still have  
several more Senshi to rescue. We need to get going now."

Kyou and Hotaru stood and followed Jadeite out the door. "Corona,"  
Kyou yelled over the alarms. "Hotaru will need her pen! So will the others!  
Where are they?"

Corona tossed something over his shoulder, and Kyou caught it. It  
was Hotaru's transformation pen. He handed it to the girl, who transformed  
mid-run.

"Where are the others?" Kyou asked Corona.

"Right down here," Corona replied. They reached another door  
similar to the one Hotaru had been held behind, and took up positions on  
either side of the door. Corona waved it open, and Kyou led the charge in,  
dodging the guard's blasts with ease. He cut the guard down as he did the  
last one, and re-emerged from the room, a very disgruntled Haruka trailing  
behind him. Corona gave her her pen, and she transformed.

"What are we doing working with Corona?" she demanded.

"He's the one who's engineering our escape," Saturn replied as they  
hurried to the next cell.

"Thanks," Uranus muttered. "Kyou, you know you need a haircut,  
right?"

"No time for that now, Uranus. We have to get to the others before  
their guards get restless," Piccolo interrupted.

"Those pathetic guards won't be the ones you need to worry about,"  
came Kyou's voice from behind them. Saturn and Uranus looked perplexed,  
since Kyou was in front of them. The group turned around.

Kyou was standing both in front of and behind them. The one behind,  
however, had the shorter hair Saturn was used to. He wore all black, instead  
of Kyou's navy and gray.

"Aedis…" Corona muttered, a terrified expression dominating his  
face.

"This is the clone Bakoda made of me, eh?" Kyou said.

"Ah. So you're the original," Aedis answered. "I must say, you're  
certainly not much to look at. You could've worn nicer clothes, especially  
since this will be your funeral."

"Corona, take the others to find the rest of the Senshi. I'll deal with  
Aedis myself," Kyou said.

"You only hope you can take care of me. But without you around, are  
you sure your friends can survive?" Aedis asked.

"They'll survive. I'll bring you down quickly and go help them.  
Won't be a problem," Kyou answered. "You guys go now!"

Corona nodded and led the others away, and Kyou turned back,  
preparing himself for what was bound to be his toughest opponent yet.

Himself…


	5. Chapter 5

[Chapter 5]

Once he was sure the others had gone, Kyou faced his opponent with  
determination in his eyes. His clone, Aedis, glared back at him with a darker  
expression, one of bloodlust. This was what Kyou assumed he must look  
like with all the stops gone. Although it thrilled him to be face-to-face to  
this, it also worried him. With Aedis' ruthlessness and Saiyan power, he  
would not be a kind opponent.

"You're afraid. I can see that," Aedis said. "That's a smart thing.  
You should fear death."

"I only fear one thing," Kyou responded, "And I doubt I'll be facing  
that any time soon."

"Sooner than you think," Aedis said. "Especially if you lose this  
battle."

"Then I'll just have to make sure I don't lose, won't I?" Kyou asked.  
He could tell his confidence was unnerving Aedis. That was part of his plan;  
upsetting one's foe would make them think less clearly, and unable to fight  
as well.

"I won't go easy on you," Aedis said.

"Nor would I expect it of you," Kyou replied, taking off the belt to  
which his swords were attached. "It wouldn't be as much fun that way."

"I don't know what's made you so confident in your abilities, but I'm  
not going to let that stop me," Aedis said sternly. He raised his power level  
sharply, his underlying hatred bringing him into Super Saiyan quickly.

Kyou noted his clone's power level. It was higher than Kyou's had  
been when he transformed. Kyou transformed as well, determined to match  
Aedis blow for blow at first, and then overwhelm him with what he'd  
learned. Aedis didn't seem the slightest bit surprised at this transformation,  
nor did he hesitate. The clone charged, fist raised and ready to strike.

"That's too easy," Kyou said, catching the fist in midair. He grabbed  
Aedis' wrist with his other hand, and slung the clone over his head. Aedis  
stopped himself with his foot, bouncing back over Kyou's head and breaking  
free of his grip.

"Not bad," Kyou said admiringly. "I can't say you're a complete  
waste of power."

"You should've known I would have had a response in mind," Aedis  
replied. "I'm you, remember? I'm just as strong, just as smart, just as  
calculating as you are."

"That's where you're wrong. You're not me. I'm not that evil or that  
ruthless. I don't fight based on calculations. I live on chance," Kyou  
responded stubbornly. "I hope you had fun raiding Juuban. You're going to  
have to atone for those deaths someday."

"I'll atone for nothing," Aedis said, "until you can defeat me here."  
The clone attacked again, launching with a barrage of blows instead of a  
single fist this time.

Kyou was mostly successful in blocking; the only things he didn't  
block were grazing hits. He struck back, finding places he didn't think  
Aedis could block and lashing out at them. He ended up being correct; he  
was more successful in his assault than his clone had been. The last blow he  
landed knocked Aedis back several feet, and Aedis went immediately into an  
energy attack.

Kyou spotted the barrage of blasts closing on him, stretched out his  
hands and shouted, "Konton yokusei!" The blasts stopped in midair and  
flew back toward Aedis. Aedis jumped, even the highest of the blasts going  
well beneath him.

"I see you mastered the Chaos Control," Aedis said. "I'll have to  
remember that."

Kyou wasted no time with a response. Instead, he shot forward with  
all possible speed and shoulder-rammed his opponent. Aedis recovered  
quickly, doing the same to Kyou in the brief moment he was unable to act.

Kyou took the impact easily, heading backward with the force of the  
blow. He landed on a foot and almost instantly did a back flip, landing in a  
forward stance. From there, he charged again, trying to headbutt his clone,  
but Aedis stopped Kyou's attack with his hands.

Kyou smirked. He'd been expecting this. "Time to show you what  
else I've mastered," he said. He channeled his spirit energy into his hands  
and thrust them forward, making an invisible push that sent Aedis flying  
through the air and onto his back, as Kyou dropped calmly to one knee.

Kyou bounced off his knee and did a forward flip in the air, landing  
on his feet beside Aedis. Aedis looked up at him, hatred burning within him.

"What's wrong?" Aedis asked. "Your opponent's down. You're  
supposed to kill him."

"No," Kyou replied. This made Aedis even angrier, and he thrust his  
fists into the ground beside him, the force propelling him to his feet. He  
glared at Kyou.

"You should have killed me then," Aedis said. "You made a mistake.  
Now you'll pay." The clone lashed out at Kyou, but Kyou twisted his upper  
body to dodge the blow.

"I'm not going to kill you, Aedis. You can forget it," Kyou  
responded.

"Then you'll die instead!" Aedis raged. He assaulted Kyou again,  
using combinations Kyou vaguely recognized. They were built off of his, so  
Kyou was able to devise simple improvisations to defend against them.

Aedis was becoming angrier and more unbalanced. He was attacking  
out of blind rage. Kyou kept himself calm and focused, and was able to  
keep his energy usage down.

"Stop running away and fight me, you coward!" Aedis screamed in  
rage. He kept chasing after Kyou, who kept dodging backward.

"Fine," Kyou said. When he landed on his back foot, he changed  
direction and tackled Aedis, bringing the clone down again. "Eventually,  
you'll give up. It's not going to take much longer to bring down the rest of  
your energy."

"You… This was your plan all along, wasn't it? Letting me drain my  
energy while trying to hit you, and all you had to do was to keep going  
backward," Aedis said.

"I have to admit, that is a pretty good guess, but only half right. My  
original plan was to get you frustrated so that you'd do something stupid.  
What ended up happening was you got frustrated and ended up trying  
harder, and wasting more energy. So it works out after all," Kyou replied.

"You've yet to see energy," Aedis said stubbornly. Immediately, his  
power level rose again; he'd been holding back the entire time. Kyou sensed  
a definite change as his clone entered a new tier of power. He guessed that  
this was what Piccolo meant. This must be the second level of Super  
Saiyan.

"You've been holding back," Kyou said. "How come?"

"I felt like going easy on you for awhile. But you really pissed me  
off. So now I'm just going to finish you," Aedis replied.

"You can try," Kyou answered. "But I doubt you'll get far."

As if they'd practiced against one another for months in preparation  
for this moment, both Saiyans fired off energy blasts with blinding speed.  
Each blast missed its alleged target, coming to a stop around them.

"So," Kyou said holding his hand open, palm toward Aedis. "Trying  
to play a speed game with me?"

"A test of nerves, more like. Let's see who has the nerve to close in  
first," Aedis answered, with a similar stance. "It looks like I do, though."  
He closed his hand.

Immediately, Kyou shouted, "Protect Circle Five!" He brought his  
other hand up to join his first, and a blue field surrounded him as the blasts  
closed in. Kyou struggled to keep the field up, trying desperately to keep all  
of the blasts from reaching him. Finally, though, the impacts stopped, and  
Kyou dropped his shield.

"Looks like you wasted your Scatter Shot," Kyou said, smirking. He  
closed his hand, and the blasts closed in on Aedis. There was a massive  
explosion, and smoke filled the corridor.

Soon enough, the smoke filtered out. Aedis was still standing. His  
clothes were torn in a few places, but he was intact nonetheless. He was  
breathing slightly heavily; keeping his body intact after enduring so many  
blasts had to have put a great strain on him. His hair had gone back to black;  
he had used too much energy to maintain the advanced Super Saiyan form  
he'd had.

"I… I don't understand you…" Aedis said. "Why do you continue to  
fight me?"

"Why do I continue to fight?" Kyou repeated. "I fight to protect the  
ones I love. I fight to protect my friends and my home. I fight because I  
have hope for the future. Bakoda wants to destroy that future, and with it,  
all of our hopes and dreams. I have to stop him. That's why I do this."

"But… Bakoda could kill you, and everything you worked for would  
be meaningless," Aedis said.

"That may be true. I won't know whether or not I can beat him until I  
try. If I succeed, then it was all worth it. If I fail, maybe it wasn't supposed  
to happen. But I can't stop. I can never give up, or I failed before I even  
started," Kyou said.

"That is… ridiculous. No Saiyan should act like this. It's… weak,"  
Aedis responded in disbelief.

"I don't care whether you accept it or not," Kyou said. He powered  
down and turned. "I'm through fighting you. We'll finish this some other  
day." He took off down the corridor, leaving Aedis standing there,  
stunned.


	6. Chapter 6

[Chapter 6]

Saturn had a difficult time letting him go again so soon, but she was  
sure that Kyou would do fine. She had sensed something different about  
him when he returned. It wasn't just his height or his age, there was a  
deeper power there.

As the group had moved on, rescuing Mercury and Jupiter, the latter  
of which had tried to take on her guard single-handedly, she felt nothing out  
of the ordinary. The group was shocked when Mercury, keeping track of the  
battle between Kyou and Aedis, reported that there had been a massive burst  
of energy from both fighters, but one fighter was losing power rapidly.

"Can you tell which one's which?" Uranus asked.

"No idea," Mercury replied. "They're both so identical. While  
Kyou's had a year's course of training, Aedis' power was boosted by the  
darkness Bakoda infused within him. So they're still relatively on even  
footing."

"Except that now one's already won and the other lost," Jupiter added.  
No one dared to speculate on which fighter fit which category.

After another battle with the similar type of guard that they'd  
encountered before, Minako rejoined the group and transformed. "What's  
happening? What's with all the alarms?" the blond asked.

"That would be our doing," Jadeite replied. "Corona brought me,  
Kyou, and Piccolo here so we could storm the palace, so to speak. We're  
here to rescue you and stop Bakoda if possible."

"Has anyone seen Usagi?" Venus asked.

"Not yet," Piccolo answered.

"She was put into a different type of cell from the rest of you. I have  
no idea what's guarding her," Corona explained.

They party left again, and they ran into more guards in the corridors,  
who began firing wildly at them. Each of the Senshi ducked back into the  
cell, while Piccolo and Corona started picking away at them. When the hall  
was cleared, the Senshi re-emerged, and the group continued their journey.

"Guys," Mercury said as she ran. "One of the power levels from  
Kyou's battle… It's completely disappeared."

Saturn was immediately filled with a sense of dread. She hoped Kyou  
was okay, that it had been Aedis' power that was extinguished.

"We've got worse problems than that," Mercury continued. "Several  
guards are closing in on us!"

Sure enough, the corridor was soon filled with more weapons fire. It  
was coming from both directions, and was getting more accurate. Saturn  
jumped in surprise; one of the shots hit the ground right next to her foot.  
Jadeite and Piccolo put up a barrier, but the fire became even more  
concentrated.

"We have to think of something!" Jupiter shouted.

"I can bring down my end of the barrier for a split second," Jadeite  
said. "If you all launch massive attacks, we should be able to stop that half."

Each of the Senshi nodded. They silently picked their attacks, the  
ones which would cause the most damage or frustration to the enemy.

"Ready?" Jadeite asked. Each of the Senshi nodded. He dropped his  
end of the barrier, leaving Piccolo alone to ward off the fire from the other  
end.

Saturn went out first, shouting, "Silence Block!" A beam of light  
emitted from her Silence Glaive, and another wall appeared. "Fire through  
the wall!" she shouted to the other Senshi.

"Jupiter Thunder Dragon!" Jupiter called out. An enormous bolt of  
electricity flew forth and stunned the opponents, while Mercury called out,  
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" which created an enormous wall of ice which filled  
the corridor. Mercury repeated the attack twice more, thickening the wall of  
ice. While the guards were unable to fire through, Piccolo dropped his end  
of the barrier. Jadeite put a barrier back up, and Piccolo and Corona fired  
back into their set of guards. Their aim proved truer, and soon the  
threatening firing had stopped, although some useless shots were still being  
taken at the wall of ice.

Corona led the group on, every last one of them on their guard. No  
one said anything as they approached the cell where Michiru was being held,  
but that guard battle went as quickly as the others. Michiru transformed and  
joined the party, and they left to rescue Rei…

* * *

Kyou followed the corridors, trying to guess where the Senshi were at.  
All he really had to do was to follow the open doors. They showed where  
Senshi had been rescued, bearing the marks of a blast or two, sometimes a  
corpse or a pile of debris.

He made a turn and had to be cautious; guards littered the hallway,  
taking shots at what appeared to be a solid wall of ice. Must be Mercury's  
handiwork, Kyou thought. He flew straight ahead, and transformed into  
Super Saiyan, drawing his swords and cutting down guards before flying  
straight into and shattering the wall of ice. Then he dropped his  
transformation and continued onward.

Kyou's senses were numbed; he couldn't feel any of the Senshi's  
energy levels, but he knew they were alive. The bond that he and Hotaru  
had developed led him to them. There were more guards to bring down  
along the way, and Kyou knew he had to hurry.

Minutes later, he found the other Senshi. They were having trouble  
contending with three of the guards, and a fourth appeared from one of the  
cells. Kyou dropped to his feet and charged down the corridor, his swords  
clearing their sheaths as he ran. He ducked under Jupiter's Thunder Dragon  
and sidestepped Neptune's Deep Submerge before slashing one of his blades  
in at the nearest guard. He spun mid-maneuver and brought the other sword  
into another guard's throat, pulled both swords free and kicked out at a third  
guard's midsection, knocking him into the air and landing him meters away.

The fourth guard lined his weapon up and fired; Kyou caught it a split  
second too late, and the edge of the blast caught his left arm, burning it. The  
Saiyan brought his right sword up and slashed down at his foe, splitting the  
guard's skull. Moments later, Rei staggered out, supported by Venus – the  
priestess had apparently been injured by her guard. "What kept you?" Rei  
asked.

"The clone that Bakoda made to kidnap you all," Corona answered.

"And you're here for what reason?" Rei continued, turning on him.

"To help us save you," Kyou replied. "Corona, her pen." Corona  
nodded and handed Rei her pen, who used it to transform immediately.  
"Now to find Usagi. Where is she?"

Corona motioned for them to follow. Kyou resheathed his blades and  
brought up the rear of the group. The alarms finally subsided, evidence that  
whoever had been sending guards after them had given up. They  
encountered no more resistance as they neared the end of the corridor.

There was a set of double doors at the end of the hall. Corona waved  
his hand in front of a sensor and they opened, leading to a lift. Each of them  
piled into the lift and it ascended. Kyou looked around. The Senshi were  
tired, from their ordeal and the lack of comfort in their cells, and Mars had a  
bruise on her cheek, but otherwise they were no worse for the wear.

The lift stopped and the doors opened quietly. Corona led the way  
slowly out onto the new level. Piccolo followed, then the Senshi, as Jadeite  
and Kyou once again brought up the rear. This corridor seemed devoid of  
any guards, and the doors were spaced farther apart.

"This is the level where my siblings and I live. These extra rooms had  
been guest quarters, places for Bakoda's clients to stay. Now they're just  
storage. Armories, mostly, but there may be a couple of torture chambers  
here," Corona explained.

"And at least one cloning facility," Saturn added quietly.

"The Princess should be through here," Corona continued, not hearing  
or ignoring her. He waved his hand before another set of doors. The doors  
remained shut this time, but a small panel opened above the hand sensor.  
Corona looked into it, and a small laser scanned his eye.

"Optical sensor," Mercury noted. "Only recognizes certain optical  
patterns and disallows anyone else from entering."

The door opened this time, and the party entered. The room was  
hidden mostly in shadow, save for a patch of light in the center. Usagi stood  
with her arms at her sides, her eyes closed.

"She's in stasis," Corona said, quelling any fears. "There's a force  
field protecting her, so she can't get out, and no one else can get in. Unless I  
bring it down."

"An event we'd most certainly love to see," a woman's voice said  
from the shadows. "But one you will not be tolerated to carry through…"


	7. Chapter 7

[Chapter 7]

"Sylph," Corona said. "Out of the way. I'm here for the princess."

"No, Corona," came a deep male voice. "The princess stays with us."

"Aquias is right, Corona. The Princess stays. She's instrumental in  
Bakoda's plan to rule the universe. Not even you can interfere," a third  
voice added.

"Aquias, Tundra, Sylph. You have to listen to me. Bakoda's tricking  
you," Corona said.

"How can you say that?" Sylph asked, stepping with the other two  
into the light. She was quite beautiful, with tanned skin, blue eyes, and light  
purple hair. "Bakoda found us. He gave us a home after ours was  
destroyed."

"He gave us a home, but he never intended to save us," Corona said.  
"He's using us until we become an inconvenience. Now that he's cloned the  
Saiyan, he won't have any more need for us."

"I refuse to believe that, Corona," Tundra replied. His hair was white,  
and his eyes a very light shade of blue. He had a red mark on his jaw line,  
similar to Kyou's Kirikado Dragon form. "Look what he's done for us so  
far."

"Bakoda helped all of us, Corona. He gave us a home, and a  
purpose," Sylph said.

"And he can take it away just as easily," Corona replied. "He's  
probably already planning on it. I'm trying to save you. Don't you trust  
your brother anymore?"

"No, Corona. You're trying to betray our master," Tundra said. "For  
that, you have to pay." Tundra held out his hand, and a staff appeared.  
Axes appeared in Aquias' hands. Sylph did not use a weapon. All three of  
them prepared for an attack.

"Stop it, all of you!" Saturn cried. "Corona's right, Bakoda's going to  
destroy the universe! There will be countless billions, perhaps trillions,  
without homes or dead. Don't you care about that?"

"Did you hear that, siblings? Countless more like us, abandoned,  
homeless, almost hopeless," Corona said. Nonetheless, his siblings' minds  
were made up. They continued their charge, and Corona manifested two  
swords from nowhere. The swords began glowing red, Corona channeling  
his energy into them.

Saturn didn't know what came over her, but the next thing she knew,  
she was charging forward, readying her Silence Glaive. As Corona blocked  
Aquias' axes, Saturn locked staves with Tundra. Sylph was the only free  
one, and she went for Saturn first. She was stopped by a powerful blow  
from Uranus, who had rushed after Saturn to stop her.

"You shouldn't have challenged us, brother," Aquias said. "You  
know that if you leave Bakoda's service you will die."

"Then at least I'll die for what's right instead of living in darkness,"  
Corona answered. His strength began to falter; Aquias was getting the upper  
hand. The axe master overpowered the swordsman, and swung again,  
cutting into Corona's armored side. Corona screamed, dropped his swords,  
and grasped his side, and was pushed out of the way before Aquias could  
strike again.

Corona looked up to see who had saved him, and saw Aquias once  
again blocked by a pair of swords: Kyou's. The Saiyan had intervened just  
in time to prevent Corona's gory death.

Kyou pushed Aquias' axes up, ignoring the pain in his left arm, then  
launched a side kick that caught Aquias in the chest and sent him stumbling  
back. He glanced over to see Saturn contending with a white-haired man,  
locked in a battle of wills as their staves crackled with energy. Aquias had  
gotten back up to swing again, but Kyou had jumped, backflipped, and  
landed behind Aquias. Before he could turn around, Kyou had already  
struck again, battering Aquias' upper spine with his elbow.

Aquias dropped in pain, and Kyou charged over him to shoulder ram  
the white-haired man, who was beginning to overpower Saturn. The man  
kept his balance, but fixed Kyou with an icy blue stare. "So. You must be  
the Saiyan," he said.

"And you would be?" Kyou asked.

"I am Tundra, oldest of the siblings. We've disowned our traitor of a  
brother," the man replied. "Your idealism rubbed off on him. But we're not  
that weak. We know that Bakoda will conquer the universe. No one can  
stop him."

"You're wrong, Tundra," Corona said. He had planted a foot in  
Aquias' back, preventing him from getting up. "There's only one thing that  
can stop Bakoda. The very same thing he's looking for."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sylph asked, blocking a blow from  
Jupiter, who had joined Uranus in unarmed combat. "Bakoda's not looking  
for anything."

"We'll see," Corona said. Beneath him, Aquias had built up a rush of  
strength, and forced Corona off of him. He picked up his axes once more  
and lashed out, catching Corona in the shoulder. Corona dropped again, this  
time falling face-down on the ground. Aquias was about to swing again, but  
suddenly found Saturn's Silence Glaive at his throat. She had been freed  
from her gridlock by Kyou, and had rushed to Corona's aid.

The battle with the siblings was over quickly: Saturn was still holding  
her weapon at Aquias' throat; Sylph was on her knees, battered and  
breathing heavily, a testament to Jupiter and Uranus' work. Tundra's staff  
had been destroyed, sliced into pieces by Kyou, and he was kneeling before  
the Saiyan, admitting defeat.

"Do with us what you will, Saiyan," Tundra said. "We are at your  
mercy."

"Release the princess," Kyou said. "We will need to her accomplish  
our goal."

Tundra closed his eyes, and the field around Usagi dropped. Mars and  
Mercury ran forward to her, and led her to Kyou. Kyou had brought Corona  
to the group, and laid him before them. "Saturn," he said. "Help me heal  
Corona. He's injured badly."

Saturn waited for Aquias to drop his axes before moving. Then she  
turned and ran to Kyou and Corona. Both of them knelt beside the fire  
master, and as Saturn placed her hand on his shoulder, Kyou began an  
incantation to heal Corona's side. In a few minutes, Corona's eyes opened  
and he slowly sat up.

"Kyou… Thanks. Why didn't you kill any of them?" Corona asked.

"Because we're likely to need them," Kyou replied. "Where's the  
Ginzuishou?"

"I have it," Usagi said. She held out her hand, and a silver crystal  
dropped seemingly out of nowhere and into her palm. "Why do you need  
it?"

"You used a method before to convert four sisters to erase their  
brainwashing, right?" Kyou asked.

"Yes. You want me to do the same to these four?" Usagi asked.

"If you would be so kind," Kyou replied. "You can leave their  
powers intact, correct?"

"If their powers were given to them by Bakoda, then she can't," Mars  
said.

"We, as far as we know, were born with our respective powers,"  
Tundra answered.

"Alright, then. Go ahead, Usagi," Kyou said.

The process took several minutes. Usagi went to each one, purifying  
their souls. Finally, all four siblings were returned to their original state.

"Why… why did you do this?" Tundra asked. "Why didn't you kill  
us?"

"Because I believed that you weren't truly evil. I knew it was a  
certainty from Corona, or else he wouldn't have come and gotten me. And  
Saturn trusted him, because she told him where I was at. Nobody knew  
except for her, myself, and Piccolo," Kyou replied.

"So there are four more people for me to provide for?" Piccolo asked.

"Actually, no. I think I can afford to shack them up for awhile, until  
they get jobs and places of their own," Kyou said. "And since they still have  
their powers, what do you say to letting them help us for awhile?" He looked  
to the Senshi.

"I think it'd be a pretty good idea," Mercury said. "We can always  
use more power, especially if Bakoda is as strong as we've heard."

"Well, I actually had more than this particular campaign in mind,"  
Kyou said.

"What do you mean?" Jupiter asked.

"I think I know," Usagi said. "You plan on making them knights,  
don't you?"

Kyou smiled. "You saw right through it, Usagi. Yes, that's my  
intention. You and Mamoru already have knights. And I don't intend on  
splitting up with Hotaru, so we'll need knights as well, more than likely."

"K… Kyou," Corona said. "This is… This is incredible. You're  
actually giving us this chance?"

"I think you deserve it. I'm trying to kill as few people as possible,  
believe it or not," Kyou said.

"Then we will serve you with our lives, Kyou," Corona said, bowing.  
His siblings did the same. Kyou raised an eyebrow, unused to this type of  
treatment, but his new knights rose.

"There is something you'll need, though," Kyou said. "Piccolo, you  
know the alchemic symbol for Saturn, right?"

"Yes. I presume they need new armor?" Piccolo asked.

"If they're going to serve us, they will," Kyou said. "And I kinda…  
broke Tundra's staff," he added sheepishly.

Piccolo went to Corona first, and held a hand to his chest. In a flash  
of golden light, Corona's outfit changed. He now wore fiery red armor, with  
the symbol of Saturn in black on the left breast. His swords also bore the  
mark of Saturn. Piccolo moved on as Corona knelt before Kyou, and  
changed Aquias' armor, then Tundra's, then Sylph's. Tundra now possessed  
a white staff with rings on the top. Aquias' axes were white as well, bearing  
the mark of Saturn on the wide blades.

"That's much better," Kyou said. "Now let's go see what we can do  
about Bakoda…"


	8. Chapter 8

[Chapter 8]

Kyou and the others moved quickly, wasting no time in reaching  
Bakoda. This new part of the fortress was vast, the twisting corridors  
showing no sign of coming to an end. It seemed Bakoda had already  
exhausted his supply of guards, because they met no more resistance. _A __  
__mistake on Bakoda's part,_ Kyou thought. _He's leaving himself defenseless. __  
__Either he's overconfident, or genuinely strong. And even with my new __  
__powers, I'd hate to face somebody that strong._

Kyou tried to force this thought out of his mind. He had allies with  
him now. There was no way Bakoda would be able to survive against all of  
them. Unity was one of the things the Senshi were best at, from what he'd  
heard. It had never failed them yet, and he knew it couldn't now.

Corona motioned for the others to slow down, as they approached  
Bakoda's chambers. Corona went to the door, stood to the side, and pulled  
the handle to open it. The Senshi, Piccolo, Jadeite, Kyou, and his knights  
lined the hallway, and Kyou met each of their eyes. He put his hand down  
beside him with three fingers pointing straight down. Everyone nodded, and  
Kyou pulled one finger back, then another, then the third. On the final  
count, all of them poured into the chamber, readying their strongest attacks.

The chamber was empty save for Kyou and the others. Corona  
walked a little further in, and the doors closed behind them. Kyou ran back  
to it and shoulder-rammed it, but it wouldn't budge. They were trapped.  
There was a slight jolt in the floor, and Kyou had to maintain his balance.

There was a glimmer of light, and an image of Bakoda appeared.  
"Greetings, foolish Senshi and traitorous siblings," the image said. "I see  
you've fallen into my trap. It appears that even with my formerly trusted  
advisor's help, you're not terribly perceptive. And Kyou, don't try blasting  
the doors. It won't do you any good. I've already detached that chamber  
from the rest of the fortress. I did so love that chamber, but it will be  
meaningless compared to what I am about to accomplish.

"With you Senshi out of the way, I am now free to wreak havoc on the  
Earth. Of course, I have a specific purpose in mind. I intend to scour the  
planet, searching for the Angelus Crystal. With it, I can rule the universe.  
Without you meddlesome fools in the way, there's nothing to stop me now.  
Of course, I can't risk Corona letting you all out, so I've placed a seal on the  
chamber to where he cannot use his power. To add to the mayhem, the  
doors will automatically reopen within five minutes, pulling you all out into  
the void of space. Farewell, heroes. I can't say it's been fun, but it will be.  
For me, at least," Bakoda said. With a wicked laugh, the image disappeared,  
and a timer reappeared in its place, reading five minutes, the time until the  
Senshi's demise.

"So. It's all over," Tundra said. "We're all going to die."

"No. There has to be a way out," Corona said.

"It's impossible," Sylph said. "Bakoda bound your powers and we're  
dead in less than five minutes. There's no way out of this coffin."

"Don't start talking like that," Saturn said. "There's always a way  
out."

"How?" Sylph demanded.

"We can use the Planet Power," Saturn replied.

"I don't think so, Saturn," Jupiter replied. "Usagi's entirely too worn  
out from her struggle earlier."

"Then there's one option left," Piccolo said. He looked over at Kyou,  
who had his eyes closed.

"What is it, Kyou?" Neptune asked. "How can we get out of here?"

"It's risky," Kyou said. "In fact, if something goes wrong, it could  
end up quite deadly to all of us. But if we really don't have any other  
option, we'll have to use it. It's the Chaos Control."

"You used that before," Mars said. "In the battle with the  
necromancers. You turned Delfino's attack back on him."

"True. But that's not the Chaos Control's only effect. I can also warp  
time and space in other ways, including teleportation, and I can take control  
of minor enemies or remove brainwashing," Kyou answered.

"Then we have to rely on something that might not work?" Tundra  
asked skeptically.

"We don't have any choice. We only have two minutes remaining,"  
Jadeite said. He turned to Kyou. "It's now or never."

"Alright. Everyone join hands," Kyou said urgently. They all did as  
he asked, and in moments there was a ring of people, fifteen in number.  
Each of them looked to Kyou for their next instruction. "Focus all your  
power on that fortress. Picture yourselves inside it. We need to end up in  
the same spot, say, where we rescued Usagi."

Each of the Senshi closed their eyes, their minds drifting to the  
fortress, each of them refraining from looking at the timer. Only Kyou saw  
it, and it now read one minute, thirty seconds. He focused all his attention  
on reaching the room safely, with all the Senshi. Something green  
glimmered under his shirt, and before anyone knew it, he shouted, "Chaos…  
CONTROL!"

* * *

When Kyou said "Chaos Control," Saturn immediately felt sick. Her  
stomach jerked upward, as did her hands as the Senshi on either side of her  
moved, and she immediately felt a rushing wind. She held back the urge to  
scream, focusing intently on reaching the chamber. Her vision was blurred,  
then became pitch black, giving her the impression of having gone blind.

Finally, though, her stomach settled back down and her sight returned.  
They had reappeared in the chamber where Usagi had been rescued. She  
saw Kyou drop to his hands and knees, along with a few of the Senshi. She  
tried to hurry over to Kyou, but fell herself, and resorted to crawling over to  
him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, putting her hands on his back and chest.  
He was breathing heavily, and almost looked as if he were wincing in pain.  
Finally, though, he looked up.

"I'm fine, Saturn," Kyou responded, still breathing a little erratically.  
"I've… never moved that many people at once before. It's a little draining.  
Check on everyone else."

The rest of the Senshi were fine, although a bit nauseous from the  
movement. Kyou was beginning to regain his balance as well. He got  
shakily to his feet, and Saturn almost ran to him again, but he kept his  
balance.

"Are you alright, Kyou?" Piccolo asked.

"I'm fine, Piccolo-sensei," Kyou replied. "We should get moving.  
Chances are Bakoda doesn't expect us to be here. We should use the  
opportunity to get the edge."

"You're right about that, but your health comes first," Piccolo  
returned.

"If Bakoda gets away with what he's planning to, my health won't  
matter one way or another," Kyou answered calmly. "We have to go now."

Piccolo shook his head and they kept going. Corona directed them to  
a different corridor, one where they hadn't been previously. For whatever  
reason, there was no guard here. "Why's it so deserted up here?" Venus  
asked.

"Looks like the guards were summoned up to where you were when  
we started rescuing you," Corona said. "Kyou probably finished off the rest  
when he came storming through. I only hope you finished off that clone,  
Kyou, or…"

"No, he's still alive," Kyou said calmly.

"What? You left him alive? You could have killed him!" Mars  
shouted.

"You may find, Mars, that Saiyans rarely do anything without good  
reason. Kyou has a purpose for sparing his clone. You should trust him by  
now," Piccolo replied in his defense.

"Piccolo's right," Venus said. "Kyou has had a point for everything  
he's done so far. He's made Corona and the others his knights. He let  
Adelaide live, too, remember?"

"Alright, fine. I don't want to hear it when that clone starts attacking  
again, though," Mars replied.

"Arguments aside, are we ready to get going?" Uranus asked. No one  
had anything further to add, so they set off again.

"Corona," Kyou said as they walked. "Is there anything you can tell  
us to help us defeat Bakoda?"

"I'm not sure. It's possible that the only reason he's able to shift time  
is because of this fortress. If we can get him off the fortress, he should lose  
his one major weapon," Corona replied.

"We can only hope," Kyou muttered.

The fortress shook, causing the Senshi to have to fight for their  
balance. "What's going on?" Jupiter called.

"The fortress is entering the atmosphere. He must've found what he  
was looking for on Earth," Corona said. "Everyone sit down. The landing's  
going to be bumpy."

The Senshi and their entourage sat, and within minutes, the floor  
shook violently as the fortress seemingly dug itself into the Earth. Finally, it  
came to a rest, and Kyou asked, "Is everyone alright?" He got positive  
answers from all, and they got to their feet again.

"We have to get moving. Chances are, Bakoda's already gone ahead  
to find his treasure," Corona said.

"What is this treasure, exactly?" Sylph asked.

"Some kind of crystal, as I recall," Corona replied. "He seems to  
think it can give him unlimited power or something."

"That doesn't sound good," Piccolo said.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Uranus replied. "Nothing can trump  
the Ginzuishou in power."

"Nothing that you Senshi know of," Jadeite countered. "There are  
plenty of things no one's discovered yet. Chances are that Bakoda, with his  
intergalactic travels, learned of something else."

"We don't have time to argue," Mars said. "We have to get moving  
and beat Bakoda to whatever it is he's after."

"Right," Venus said. "So, how do we get out?"

"The same way all Saiyans do," Piccolo said. "Blast everything in  
sight until they make a big enough hole."

"Right," Kyou said. He stared straight at the wall, raised his power,  
and fired a harsh energy blast at the wall. The wall began to give way, until  
finally, a hole was created large enough to let daylight pour in. Kyou leaned  
his head out and blanched. They were three hundred feet high.

"Looks like we're not walking out," he said. "We're about thirty  
stories up."

"Tundra, take a look at it," Corona said. Tundra moved to the hole  
and looked out, then came back in and stood in the midst of the Senshi. He  
uttered a brief incantation and the lot was teleported down to the ground.

Kyou smirked. "Ground floor: house wares, home electronics, and  
crystals supplying infinite power," he said.

"Let's go, then," Mars said. They set off, looking for a trail to lead  
them to where this crystal was supposed to be. Soon enough, this would all  
be over…


	9. Chapter 9

[Chapter 9]

"Ugh, when is this going to be over?" Sailor Moon cried out.

"Stop whining. It'll be over when we find this crystal," Mars replied.  
"You complain too much."

"I can't help it. We've been hiking up this mountain for hours now,"  
the blond said, simpering.

Toward the back, Piccolo asked Uranus, "How have you managed to  
put up with her this long?"

"It's… been interesting," Uranus replied. "Honestly, she's not always  
this bad. She's become quite responsible in actual battle."

"I see. My first pupil… He was a bit like that. Then again, he was  
also seven years old," Piccolo said.

Back up front, Sailor Moon was still complaining, but Kyou tuned her  
out. In fact, he was ignoring everything entirely. He had sensed something  
that caught his attention.

"Quiet, you guys," he whispered. "There's something else around  
here. I can sense it. It's not Bakoda, or any of his guards."

"Like he has any left after what we did," Jupiter muttered proudly.

Kyou led onward, further up the mountain pass. They were getting  
close to the top, where Kyou suspected the crystal might be hidden. If it  
wasn't there, there were only a few other possibilities. _Either it's at the __  
__peak, in the core of the mountain, Bakoda's already got it, or he had the __  
__wrong place entirely. The last one is the best possible scenario, since we __  
__have no clue where Bakoda's at._

"Can we stop and take a break now?" Sailor Moon wailed from  
behind him.

"Not yet. When we reach the summit, we'll rest. I don't think it's  
safe to stop just now," Kyou responded. "It should only be another half  
hour."

He could hear grumbling behind him, but ignored the complaints in  
favor of reaching the top quicker. The feeling that someone else was there  
was still lingering. Of course, he had encountered no one thus far, so they  
were still safe.

It took them awhile, but Kyou's group finally reached the peak of the  
mountain. Having dropped her transformation ages ago to rid herself of her  
boots, Usagi ran for the nearest boulder to sit on. She sighed contentedly as  
she rested, while the others merely knelt or squatted on the ground. Piccolo  
closed his eyes and sat, legs folded under him, in midair, meditating. Jadeite  
surveyed the scene from the peak of the mountain, as Kyou began searching  
for the Crystal.

It happened before anyone knew it; Kyou had drawn his swords and  
darted toward Usagi. Hotaru looked at him in bewilderment, and Haruka  
made to stop him. Everyone stopped where they were when Kyou jumped  
over Usagi and met blades with another person, someone nobody had  
noticed before.

"What's your business here?" Kyou demanded. His opponent was not  
human. It was impossible for him to be so, with such long, dark red hair,  
eyes of steel, and threatening claws. He did appear close to human, with  
normal human features and skin color, but he was quite different.

"I could ask you the same question," the swordsman replied. "This is  
my home. Why are you here?"

"Lower your sword, I'll lower mine, and we'll talk," Kyou said.

His foe seemed to think on this for a moment. Finally, his arm  
muscles relaxed as he lowered his sword. Kyou followed suit, putting his  
back in their sheaths.

"Now then, who are you?" the nonhuman asked.

"My name is Kyou Sudoba. These are all my friends. We're here  
searching for a crystal. Do you know of any around here?" Kyou asked.

"Possibly, but I won't tell you where it is. I have no reason to trust  
you," his foe replied.

"Then at least tell us who you are," Kyou said.

"And what you are, to have moved undetected up this mountain with  
us," Piccolo added.

"You're quite sharp, green man," the foe stated. "Alright, fine. My  
name is Adrastos. I'm a half-demon."

"Half-demon?" Rei asked. "I thought youkai and hanyou were wiped  
out at the end of the Feudal Era?"

"You would think so, but some of us were clever enough to disguise  
ourselves as humans, or fortunate enough to look like them," Adrastos  
replied.

"Okay, now back to our question. Why won't you tell us where the  
crystal is, or even what it is?" Kyou asked.

"Because I don't trust you. You came out of nowhere and just started  
hiking up my mountain, no vehicle or anything. That blasted fortress  
popping up just like it was dropped here," Adrastos answered.

"It was," Corona interjected. Adrastos looked at him bewilderedly.  
"It's true," Corona continued. "There's someone else looking for your  
crystal. His name is Bakoda, and it's his fortress that landed. He uses his  
power to travel through space and time, going through history and changing  
things to suit him."

"We discovered he was after the crystal, because it allegedly holds  
ultimate power. If he gets his hands on it, nothing will be able to stop him  
from conquering the world, or the universe for that matter. He can go back  
in time, possibly to the beginning, and make himself ruler. Nobody would  
be able to stand up to him," Kyou added.

"So you want my crystal. With all the skill it took you to get up here,  
you want my crystal?" Adrastos said.

Kyou nodded. "As far as we can gather, it's our only hope for  
stopping him."

"Well, I don't feel like being very nice," Adrastos replied. "So I don't  
think I'm going to tell you where it is."

Kyou's eyes narrowed. "So you're going to condemn the entire world  
to death?" he asked.

"Possibly. I've managed to escape death this long, don't you think I  
can manage it a little while longer?" Adrastos answered, smirking.  
"Besides, you're intruders. I don't take kindly to intruders."

Kyou knew that trouble was soon in coming, and had his swords out  
quickly, as did Corona. The half-demon jumped at Corona, who was a little  
slow bringing up his sword to defend. Adrastos was knocked aside, though,  
by Kyou launching out and kicking him. The half-demon stayed on his feet,  
skidding a few feet, and attacked Kyou with clawed hands. Kyou managed  
to block the half-demon's onslaught, Adrastos' claws flashing against  
Kyou's sword. When the half-demon's claws locked on the Saiyan's blade,  
Kyou pushed him off.

Adrastos smirked. "Not bad, kid. If you want the crystal, though,  
you're gonna have to wait until the new moon," he said. "Come find me  
then. I'll be inside the mountain. There's a cave opening on the side  
opposite the one you came up." He flashed his fangs and leapt out of sight.

Kyou and Corona put away their swords, and Kyou turned to Ami.  
"When's the new moon?" he asked.

"The first night of the new moon is tonight. According to my  
computer, in seven hours," Ami replied. "What are we going to do?"

"You guys need to rest right now. I can take you all back home if you  
like, and then come back here," Kyou said.

"Oh no, you don't," Hotaru interrupted. "You need rest just as much,  
if not more, than we do. Especially considering you couldn't even use the  
Chaos Control without tiring out."

"I have to learn to fully master it," Kyou said, answering Hotaru's  
challenge. "I'm probably going to end up using it a lot more tonight.  
Adrastos is strong. There's obviously some reason he wants to face me  
tonight instead of right now."

"But Kyou, you have no idea what using that so much will do to you,"  
Hotaru said.

Kyou could hear the pleading tone in her voice, and as little as he  
liked it, it was slowly unnerving him. "Alright… I won't use it. But I still  
want you guys to get home and sleep. Corona can take you back," he  
answered.

Even though he never said it, Hotaru still heard the "for now" in his  
tone. Still, she couldn't say anything. Corona was already opening a portal  
to lead them back to Tokyo. She felt Michiru take her by the shoulders and  
steer her to it, before taking her hand and walking into it.

When the last of the Senshi had gone, Corona returned. He looked to  
his siblings, then back to Kyou. "What about us?" he asked.

"I want you guys to go get some rest, too. You can go to my  
apartment. There's a key hidden in the doorframe," Kyou answered.  
"You'll probably have to use a spell to get it out."

"Something doesn't feel right about this," Corona objected. "There's  
something about that Adrastos that I just don't like. Maybe we should stay  
here…"

"I can handle Adrastos on my own," Kyou said. "You four need  
sleep. There's no telling how much rest you've actually been allowed, so  
I'm letting you get it now. I'll still have Piccolo and Jadeite here to help.  
Take care of Ganymede, my cat. Her food's in the cabinet under the sink,  
assuming she hasn't blasted it open or something."

"Blasted… it open?" Corona asked, his eyes widening.

"Figure of speech," Kyou said. "I have no idea what powers that cat  
has, but I wouldn't put it past her to wreck everything."

Corona nodded and opened the portal one last time. His siblings  
stepped through it first. Corona turned back and said, "Good luck, boss,"  
then stepped through himself. The portal closed, leaving the Saiyan, the  
Namek, and the former evil general alone on the mountaintop.

"Well," Kyou said, putting his hands on his hips, "let's get started.  
We've got a half-demon to get past."

"By tonight, he may not be a half-demon," Jadeite said. "The thing  
about half-demons is, they're also half-human. They're heavily affected by  
the moon. When the moon is in one phase, they're one way, and when it's  
in the opposite phase, they lean toward the other side."

"So we can count it as a possibility that he'll lean toward his demonic  
side tonight," Piccolo said, "Since he decided to challenge you at the new  
moon instead of the full moon. Chances are, he'll be in his human form  
fourteen days from now."

"It makes sense," Kyou said.

"What's that?" Jadeite asked.

"Well, Adrastos takes pride in being the guardian of that crystal,"  
Kyou said. "So naturally, he'd only give it up if someone could beat him in  
his fully demonic form, because then he'd know that someone stronger than  
him would be getting it. I also think he only gave me that option after I told  
him why I wanted it; so that he knew it would be put to good use."

"Possibly, but we can't count on anything," Piccolo said. "I'm glad  
you let Jadeite and I stay behind, but I'm curious as to why."

"You two are going to be a necessary force. I don't know what's  
going to happen in that cave, and I'd prefer having someone to help me if  
things turn ugly," Kyou said.

Piccolo smiled. "You've learned well, Kyou," he said. "You're  
learning to trust people more, and thinking before you act."

"You're also putting an awful lot of trust in people that used to be  
evil," Jadeite added. "That shows that you're willing to give people a  
chance instead of just condemning them. The Senshi aren't ready to do that  
just yet."

"I'm glad to see that I'm doing something right," Kyou said.

"You're doing the same thing one of my friends did," Piccolo said.  
"He had a habit of making allies out of enemies, until the day he died… and  
stayed dead. There were at least three, including me. You're working on a  
half dozen."

"How do you get that?" Kyou asked, puzzled.

"Well," Jadeite said, "There's me, those four siblings you just sent  
home, that clone you didn't kill, and that half-demon, if you're right about  
him. That's seven. You've got charisma, kid, or something."

"I hope it's enough to help me win tonight," Kyou said. "We should  
get started training…"


	10. Chapter 10

[Chapter 10]

With battle at hand in just six hours, Kyou set to work immediately.  
His first task with the Chaos Control was to make enemy attacks of no  
threat. Jadeite and Piccolo both attacked him vigorously, to the point where  
Kyou got hit constantly. Whenever this happened, they stopped, and Piccolo  
said things like, "You're letting too much through," or "You're relying too  
much on your slower senses. You're faster than this."

Kyou shook his head and pressed onward. With a few more rounds, it  
took longer and longer for Piccolo and Jadeite to hit him. Finally, they  
began attacking physically as well as with energy, and Kyou had to focus on  
both; since Piccolo knew Saiyans so well, he knew their weak points and  
communicated them wordlessly to Jadeite.

It got to a point where Kyou tried to focus on three things. First,  
using the Chaos Control to block energy attacks; second, blocking the  
physical attacks; and third, trying to store energy of his own when not using  
Chaos Control. Finally, it appeared that Piccolo and Jadeite were going to  
stick with physical attacks, and Kyou stored energy even faster. The Saiyan  
formed his energy into a ball around him, which crackled with lightning. He  
crouched in midair, his arms crossed before him, letting out a low battle yell.  
The cry rose in volume, until Kyou's attack reached its peak. He sprang  
from his contracted position, his limbs fully stretching out, as bolts of energy  
shot out from the ball in all directions, some striking Piccolo and Jadeite, but  
not often or powerful enough to cause harm.

After the energy was expended, Kyou dropped to the ground. Jadeite  
was wide-eyed with shock, Piccolo's eyes were closed, the Namek deep in  
thought. "I've never seen anything like that before," Jadeite said. "What  
was that?"

"It's my solution for facing multiple enemies. Like, a horde of minor  
enemies or a more powerful one that split himself," Kyou replied.

"Quite imaginative of you," Piccolo said appraisingly. "I don't think  
I've ever seen energy used quite like that before."

"Honestly," Kyou said, "I wish I'd thought of it sooner. You have no  
idea how useful it would've been in the necromancer battle." The Saiyan  
still shuddered thinking about it. All those corpses surrounding him, trying  
to kill him and the Senshi… They'd almost killed Hotaru, and then where  
would they be?

On the other hand, he thought, if they hadn't done that, I wouldn't  
have become a Super Saiyan, and we'd be in even worse shape.

After their short break, Kyou, Jadeite, and Piccolo resumed training.  
Rather, Piccolo and Jadeite resumed their pummeling of Kyou. It wasn't  
until the sun began to sink behind the mountains that they stopped. Piccolo  
healed Kyou briefly, and they waited for Adrastos to reappear.

Finally, Kyou sensed him. He was a good deal stronger, without his  
human half to slow him down. Piccolo and Jadeite had barely dodged, and  
Kyou had whirled around, his swords coming out in a flash to counter  
Adrastos' claws.

"You're still here," the demon growled. "Either brave, or stupid."

"We'll see," Kyou replied, smirking. He pushed Adrastos backward,  
and took up a better posture.

Adrastos smiled wickedly, baring his fangs, and reached down, taking  
hold of two old, deadened tree roots. He pulled them out of the ground and  
held them in his hands. They twisted and elongated, then sharpened, and  
finally turned into a pair of swords, matching Kyou's.

Jadeite's eyes widened in shock, while Piccolo remained  
expressionless and unmovable. "This is going to be a lot more difficult than  
we anticipated," Jadeite said in exasperation.

"Possibly, but we must have faith. Kyou showed remarkable skill  
with swords. Let's see how he matches up against a pair of swords," Piccolo  
replied calmly.

The Saiyan and demon met each other, their steel flashing and  
sparking in the dark night. The two were locked in deadly combat, though  
to an outsider, it would've looked more like an elegant and artful dance.  
The two countered one another perfectly, neither gaining an advantage,  
neither giving ground. All four blades locked, the two combatants almost  
nose-to-nose.

"You made a mistake following through with this challenge,"  
Adrastos snarled. "It's not every day someone can challenge a demon and  
come out alive. I honestly don't think you can."

"It's not good to make assumptions about what is still unknown,"  
Kyou replied. "Especially if you think I'm human."

"I gathered that you weren't human when we met. What human could  
have moved that quickly to stop me? What human, for that matter, would've  
been able to sense me, and what I was planning?" Adrastos asked.

"Good points," Kyou answered. "I guess I gave away more than I  
thought. I'm still hiding more, though."

The two pushed one another apart, Adrastos flipping backward, Kyou  
merely floating backward and touching down lightly. As soon as his feet  
touched the ground, Kyou charged, blades upraised. The demon swung his  
swords up to counter, knocking Kyou's out of his hands. Kyou brought his  
foot up to connect with Adrastos' jaw, causing the demon to lose hold of his  
swords as well.

Both of them weaponless, the two combatants assumed respective  
martial arts poses. It seemed to Piccolo as if the fight would last awhile.

"You're doing well, boy. I should have struck as soon as I knocked  
your swords away, I admit. But now you'll see the full bloodlust of a  
demon," Adrastos snarled.

"I'm not so sure," Kyou said. "We're wasting time here."

"I don't see how," Adrastos replied. "I'm having fun, myself."

"Bakoda is probably sneaking his way to the crystal as we speak,"  
Kyou said.

"Then he won't get to it," Adrastos replied.

"Explain what you mean," Kyou said.

"You'll have to defeat me first," Adrastos answered, lashing out at  
Kyou. The demon's claws fell inches short of Kyou's chest; the Saiyan had  
backpedaled at the perfect moment. Kyou got his footing back, launching a  
kick that caught Adrastos in his stomach. The demon doubled over in pain.

"Have you had enough?" Kyou asked, his tone calm.

The demon looked up at him with scorn in his eyes. "I'm just getting  
started," he spat, pushing himself back to his feet and throwing another  
punch. Kyou turned the first hand aside easily, but wasn't prepared for the  
second. Adrastos' claws slashed at Kyou's arm, leaving behind four brilliant  
scratches, which started bleeding moments after. "Heh, got you," Adrastos  
said.

"That's true. The only thing you've managed now that you haven't  
before, is that you've seen the color of my blood," Kyou replied. "But  
believe me, that's all of it you'll be seeing." He swung out with his  
uninjured arm, and Adrastos blocked it. Kyou's bleeding arm was behind it,  
though, giving the demon a blow to the side of the head.

Adrastos fell to the ground again, cursing as soon as he pushed  
himself back onto his elbows. "You're having fun toying with me, aren't  
you?" he asked.

"Not particularly. You just won't stay down," Kyou answered.

"Then why not just kill me?" the demon challenged.

"Because I don't kill in cold blood," the Saiyan countered. "It's a  
horrific act, to kill someone like that. Only those who have committed  
atrocious acts against mankind must be killed. Those who are blameless  
deserve to live. Bakoda hasn't learned that. That's why I have to get to the  
Angelus. It's the only way to show him what he's doing wrong." He looked  
down at Adrastos and extended a hand to him. "I need your help, Adrastos."

The demon looked up at him, his expression one of awe. He reached  
up and took Kyou's hand, and the Saiyan pulled him up. "How do you  
know I'm not one of those? One of the ones who's murdered?" the demon  
asked.

"Because, if I'm right about this crystal, then it couldn't be guarded  
by anyone who'd done such things," Kyou answered.

Adrastos nodded. "Spoken like the person truly deserving of the  
Angelus," he said. "Very well, I'll take you to it. The trail is complicated."

Piccolo and Jadeite approached them quietly. "We should hurry.  
There is something approaching," Piccolo said, a dark tone encompassing  
his usually dispassionate voice.

The four of them made their way down the other side of the mountain,  
which proved a more difficult trail than the one ascending. This one was  
covered with jagged rocks and slippery moss, so keeping his footing was  
proving difficult for even Kyou.

They came to a halfway point, where ivy grew thick on the rock face.  
Adrastos smiled. "I hope you three aren't getting tired yet, there's still more  
to go," he said.

"Not tired at all," Kyou replied. "The footing's just a bit tricky."

"Well, for the rest of the journey, it'll be a lot easier, I promise," the  
demon answered.

"Adrastos, just where is this crystal?" Piccolo asked.

"It's actually underneath the mountain. There's a trail on the inside of  
the mountain leading all the way down. And please, call me Adras," came  
the response. The demon pushed aside a growth of ivy, revealing a hole  
barely large enough for Piccolo to fit into with his cloak. "After me, I  
think."

The group followed Adras down into the mountain. After the  
opening, the chasm gradually became wider, as well as higher. Small lights  
blinked into existence along the walls. Finally, after it seemed they should  
have been on the other side of the world, the group entered a large cave. A  
small obelisk sat in the center of the cave, a small, red crystal balancing  
point to point on the pyramid-shaped top.

"The Angelus Crystal," Adras said, indicating the ruby-like object.  
"Go on, Kyou. It's waiting for you."

Kyou nodded and stepped forward. There was a very strong presence  
here; Kyou imagined it was the crystal. He reached a hand out, met with no  
resistance, and clenched the crystal in his fist.

"Very good, Saiyan," said a voice, one that didn't belong to Piccolo,  
Jadeite, or Adras. "Now turn around and hand that crystal to me."

Kyou's eyebrows furrowed in anger. He knew that voice. The Saiyan  
turned around and looked past Jadeite, Adras, and Piccolo at the newest  
arrival into the cavern.

Bakoda had finally made his appearance…


	11. Chapter 11

[Chapter 11]

"What are you waiting for?" Bakoda asked. "Don't be foolish. Just  
hand over the crystal."

"Why should he?" Adras growled. "He got to it honestly. He fought  
for it. You did not. You merely followed him, after the path had already  
been opened."

"All I have to do is defeat you for the right to obtain the crystal,  
correct? Child's play," Bakoda said. He casually flicked a hand and sent  
Adras flying into the cavern wall.

Piccolo and Jadeite were instantly on their guard. Bakoda laughed at  
them. "You four are pathetic. Not a single one of you knows how to handle  
this crystal. None of you has the ambition."

"What do you mean?" Kyou demanded.

"You could have anything you wanted with the Angelus. Anything  
you desired. Immortality, yours for the taking. All the power you could  
ever want. But your problem is that you don't want it enough. So the  
crystal is useless to you," Bakoda answered.

"All we desire is the salvation of this planet and its destiny to be  
enforced," Kyou countered. "You've been threatening that for a while now.  
What possible use could you have for the crystal?"

"My use? If I had… no. When I claim the crystal, I intend to use it to  
unite the worlds of the universe under one flag. There would be no more  
wars. Is that not good enough?" Bakoda asked.

"No," Jadeite responded. "Because you would be a dictator. You  
would rule through absolute power rather than partnership. You would have  
no equals, only subordinates."

"And you can honestly say Kyou wouldn't do the same?" Bakoda  
said, leering at them.

"Yes," Piccolo answered. "Kyou's ancestry is one of barbarism and  
destruction, but he is pure. He wants nothing more than the safety of Earth,  
and whatever friends the Earth makes in the coming years. The only reason  
he went after the crystal in the first place was to stop you, because he didn't  
want to see anyone in despair under your rule."

"Preposterous. We all know how Saiyans behave," Bakoda spat.

"True, but Kyou's not entirely Saiyan," Piccolo replied. "I found him  
as a baby, in a human body. I raised him on Earth, around human ideals.  
Aside from his power, he is no more a Saiyan than Jadeite or myself."

"Human ideals, you say? In a human body?" Bakoda asked. His  
expression darkened. "Then he will die like a human. Like the inferior  
being he still is, human or Saiyan." Bakoda raised a hand and pointed a  
finger at Kyou. A bolt of dark energy fired off…

Kyou never felt the bolt pierce him, but saw and heard it hit  
something else. Piccolo had moved to block the shot, which had passed  
through him and left a burning hole in his cloak. "Piccolo!" Kyou cried.

The old Namek dropped to the floor, all trace of emotion fleeing from  
his eyes. His breath was ragged, his pulse weak. Kyou held his master's  
head up, and Piccolo said. "Kyou… Guess this is the third time I die for a  
pupil… Stop Bakoda, save your friends and their future… Sorry I couldn't  
be more help…"

"It's alright, Piccolo," Kyou said, trying to convince himself more  
than his fallen master. "I'll take care of this and we'll all go home, even  
you."

"Kyou… don't be foolish. I'm dead already. Unless you hurry…  
Adras and Jadeite will too, and then Bakoda can focus on you… He will be  
merciless… and if you die, nothing can prevent him from taking the  
Angelus… Go! Stop him!" Piccolo cried out with his last breath. The  
Namek closed his eyes, his heart stopped, and his body slowly faded to  
nothingness.

"You realize what you must do," Jadeite said from the side. "There is  
no time for mourning. You must bring him down."

"Yes, Saiyan. You must battle me and die, like your pathetic  
teacher," Bakoda taunted. "Or you can submit, pledge your allegiance, and  
turn over the Angelus willingly."

"No," Kyou said quietly, looking up. Jadeite saw an ancient fire in  
the Saiyan's eyes, his emotions running rampant under the surface. "Jadeite,  
listen carefully. Get Adras out of here, and gather the Senshi and the  
siblings. Keep them safe. If I call you, I'll need their help. Understood?"

"It will be done," Jadeite answered, matching his tone. He warped to  
Adras, then warped out of the cave to carry out Kyou's instructions.

"As for you, Bakoda," Kyou said, pointing at him. "You're not  
getting the Angelus. I'm going to stop you, here and now. For the sake of  
all those who you threaten on Earth, for all those who you hurt in the past,  
all those homes you destroyed, I vow to end this."

Kyou opened his hand, once more revealing the Angelus. The crystal  
shone brightly, and lifted off of his hand, vanishing. "The crystal has hidden  
itself," Kyou explained. "Whichever of us wins is the one who claims the  
Angelus."

"You've made a grave mistake challenging me, boy," Bakoda  
growled. He opened his hand and a sword, forged from the dark aura  
surrounding Bakoda himself, twisted itself into life. He gripped the sword  
and flew toward Kyou, who was already leaning back to dodge. The Saiyan  
backflipped completely, and rocketed upward, blasting a hole in the  
mountain as he flew through it.

"Impudence," Bakoda muttered, then flew up after him. He exited the  
mountain right after Kyou, and swung his sword to deflect the head of a  
Kamehameha wave the Saiyan had launched. Bakoda flew up to slash at the  
Saiyan again, but Kyou ducked under the sweeping sword and brought his  
fist up into Bakoda's gut. Bakoda brought his elbow down on Kyou, and the  
Saiyan dropped toward the ground.

Kyou managed to catch himself before hitting the ground, and angled  
his body up toward Bakoda, who had fired several energy blasts down after  
him. The blasts hit, pushing Kyou further down, until he hit the ground.  
The blasts impacted the ground around him, making a crater in the mountain  
that Kyou fell into.

"Action and reaction, Saiyan," Bakoda called down to him. "Isn't that  
one of your planet's basic physical laws?"

"I don't need you quoting Newtonian physics to me," Kyou answered  
through gritted teeth. If his body could speak for itself, it would have been  
howling in pain and protest. His already-burned left arm was now nearly  
black, his clothing had been torn or burned where the blasts had hit.

Kyou sat up painfully and tossed aside the remains of his shirt, save  
for a small scrap he used to tie his hair back. Don't see the point, really. If I  
have to transform that scrap's going to be disintegrated and my hair will fly  
back out anyway, Kyou thought to himself.

Finally getting to his feet, Kyou looked into the sky for Bakoda, but  
the demon master was nowhere to be found. Kyou searched wildly for him,  
but to no avail.

"Bakoda! Where've you gone to? Show yourself!" he called out into  
the night.

You're still alive? Pity. I thought you'd perish under my onslaught.  
I suppose I underestimated you. No matter. I'll come back for you after I  
flush out your friends… and kill them, Bakoda said. His voice was not  
present at the battlefield, yet rang clearly in Kyou's mind.

Not bothering to form a response, Kyou took flight for Tokyo…

* * *

Hotaru had started worrying from the instant Jadeite showed up, the  
unconscious Adras under his arm. "Jadeite, what happened…?"

The former dark general cut her off by saying, "I have orders from  
Kyou to gather you Senshi and his knights. I need you to contact the others  
immediately."

Hotaru nodded and picked up her communicator, putting out an all-  
call for the Senshi to meet at the Hikawa Shrine. Each of the Senshi, save  
for Haruka and Michiru, who were down the hall, and Rei, who was already  
there, responded. "We have to go to Kyou's apartment for the others," she  
told Jadeite.

"Allow me to take Adras to the Shrine and I will meet you there,"  
Jadeite responded. He vanished moments before Haruka came into the  
room.

"What's going on, Hotaru? Why the call?" the blond asked.

"Jadeite just left from here. He told me that Kyou told him to gather  
us," Hotaru answered.

"Well, alright, then. We need to hurry. If Kyou sent Jadeite here,  
something's gone horribly wrong," Haruka said.

"There's one more thing. I have to meet Jadeite at Kyou's apartment  
to pick up Corona and the others," Hotaru said quickly.

"We'll drop you off there on the way," Haruka answered. The two of  
them met Michiru at the stairs, and they all headed for Haruka's car. True to  
her word, Haruka stopped at Adrian's apartment building under Hotaru's  
direction.

"Are you sure you'll be alright here?" Michiru asked as the raven-  
haired girl got out of the car.

"Jadeite wanted me to meet him here. I think he's going to bring all  
of us to the Shrine," Hotaru answered.

"Alright. We'll see you there," Haruka answered. As Hotaru entered  
the building, the blond drove off. Hotaru entered the elevator, and within  
minutes was standing in Kyou's apartment, Corona and his siblings in front  
of her.

"Jadeite's on his way here to get us and take us to the Shrine," Hotaru  
explained to Corona. "Something's gone very wrong, and Kyou wants us all  
gathered at the Hikawa Shrine."

As if on cue, Jadeite materialized between Hotaru and the knights.  
"You're all assembled? Excellent. Let us be off," he said quietly. Hotaru  
felt an uneasiness in her stomach, and Kyou's apartment blurred, then  
resolved itself into the fire-room at the Hikawa Shrine.

Adrastos was already awake when they arrived. He sat against a wall,  
severely weakened. "Good, Jadeite's here," he noted.

"Okay, Jadeite, we're all here. What's happened?" Rei demanded.

"Bakoda has appeared on Earth," the former general answered. "He  
challenged Kyou for the Angelus after Adrastos here led us to it."

"So where are Kyou, Bakoda, and Piccolo?" Makoto asked.

"I've no idea of Kyou and Bakoda's whereabouts," Jadeite answered.

"And Piccolo?" Hotaru asked, dreading the answer.

Jadeite lowered his eyes, but finally responded. "Piccolo was killed  
by Bakoda. He died protecting Kyou from an attack that was meant for  
him."

Hotaru felt tears well up in her eyes, both of sorrow for Piccolo's  
death, and with worry for Kyou, uncertain whether the same fate awaited  
him…


End file.
